Lexis Lesson · They Want the Wrong Plant

01

Warm-up · 4 min

Your real story

Briefly describe the real situation from your homework — what did they want, and what was actually wrong with it?

Predict

Before you tell your story, predict:

1. What is the difference between "refusing" and "redirecting" a client's wrong plant choice?

There is no real difference Redirecting keeps the conversation moving toward a yes; refusing just stops it Refusing is always more professional

02

Input · 8 min

Redirecting, not just refusing

Two responses to "I want Oleander for that shady corner"

Refusal only: "That won’t work there. Oleander needs full sun."

Redirect: "Oleander needs full sun, and that corner is shaded most of the day, so it would struggle there. What you actually want is something evergreen and full — Pittosporum would give you that same dense, year-round look, and it handles the shade."

The first is correct and stops the conversation. The second is correct and keeps it moving toward something the client can say yes to.

Discovery Check

Check what you just read.

1. What does the "redirect" response do that "refusal only" does not?

Uses more technical vocabulary Explains the constraint and names an alternative that meets the same want Apologises more

03

Focus on Form · 8 min

What they actually wanted

Redirecting toward the real want

Listen and repeat.

Redirect Phrases

Match each phrase to what it actually does.

Names the underlying want behind the specific plant request

Shows the alternative delivers the same benefit without the flaw

Moves the conversation toward a concrete next step

04

Controlled Practice · 12 min

Refuse or redirect?

MCQ Reading

Choose the response most likely to keep the client satisfied.

1. Client wants Oleander in a shaded corner:

"That won’t work." "Oleander needs full sun, so it would struggle there — Pittosporum would give you the same dense look and handle the shade." "I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything."

2. Why does naming what the client "actually wanted" (dense, evergreen, year-round) matter?

It flatters the client. It shows the redirect is not a compromise — it delivers the same underlying want with a different plant. It is not necessary; any substitute plant would do.

05

Rehearsal · 20 min

Talk them round

Full conversation, live, unscripted.

Task card

A client who insists on a plant that is wrong for the site

Explain the problem, then redirect to something that meets the same underlying want.

State the constraint clearly before offering the alternative.
Name what they actually wanted, not just the plant.
If they push back once, hold your reasoning without simply repeating yourself.

Before the Conversation

Put these three moves in the order a good redirect actually follows.

1

2

3

Teacher note Push back once after her redirect — "but I really liked the flowers on the Oleander" — and see whether she can address the specific objection (does the alternative flower? if not, is there another honest answer?) rather than just repeating the original redirect.

06

Feedback · 4 min

Did the redirect hold?

When they pushed back, did you have a real answer or did you just repeat yourself? What would the real answer have been?

One More Check

One more check before you move on.

1. If a client pushes back once, what should you do?

Simply repeat the original redirect Address the specific objection directly Give up and agree to the original plant

07

Wrap-up · 4 min

Before the unit task

Homework. Choose the project for your annotated schedule. Five to eight plants, real or from your own memory of a real project. Write nothing yet.

Quick Check

Complete the homework instruction from memory.

Choose the project for your annotated schedule. to plants, real or from memory.